


The House That Clark Broke

by somethingclever



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-25 05:05:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4947820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethingclever/pseuds/somethingclever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clark Kent smiled at another crisis averted, completely and blissfully unaware that he had just changed the entire future of the universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The House That Clark Broke

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own this work or characters, nor do I profit by them. I just play in the sandbox and share the toys. I would love comments - they make me fuzzy inside.

Clark Kent smiled at another crisis averted, completely, and blissfully unaware that he had just changed the entire future of the universe.

Each requisite part existed, unharmed, but no connections formed. Imagine a universe in which the atoms are arranged by type and composition, not by use and relationship and dynamism. That is the world where Superman saved Mary and John Grayson.

Without Robin, Batman never learned to play even moderately well with others, nor to share his toys and insight. Oh, of course, one can’t stop the joining of the Earth’s mightiest, but without that human Detective’s determination and protection, it was not the same.

Without Robin, there was no need to replace a partner with Jason Todd. Batman didn’t even think twice about throwing the brat into the back of Gordon’s car and leaving him for Gordon to find at the end of his shift.

Without Jason Todd’s death in Africa, as Robin, there was no need for Tim Drake to become Robin to save Bruce from himself.

Without needing to be Robin, Tim Drake never became more than the heir to Drake Enterprises, although he always felt something missing. 

Tim did, however, win an award for inspiring artistry and got to meet the Mayor and Bruce Wayne for his photography when he took a photograph – a beautiful one – of Jason Todd’s death, although he was unnamed in the photograph, because there was no identification on his body and there were too many missing children. It was published across the country, a call to arms that moved no one to save the children of the City, but was shared and reblogged and commented on. 

The Titans never moved past an occasional meeting of sundry sidekicks, left together for safety in numbers, much like a wolf pack leaves their cubs in a group, watched over by an older pup. They never met and meshed and tested their mettle, never became wolves in their own rights. 

Young Justice never formed. Impulse was left in his VR, and Kon remained forever Superboy. 

Dick became a world-renowned gymnast, winning the gold every year he competed in the Olympics, and was hired as the lead performer in Cirque de Soleil. Sometimes, as he put on his makeup before showtime he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his third eye in the mirror, of a young man in a black mask, with a sharper smile and whited-out eyes.


End file.
